A violent attack by a street gang, a robbery setup and a guy called Bart.

Those elements formed the defence for a Riceton man attempting to beat an attempted murder charge at his Regina Court of Queen’s Bench trial.

But Justice Donald Layh didn’t buy the testimony William John Crawford put forward in his own defence. Instead, on Friday, Layh determined evidence proffered by the complainant and city police officers was the accurate version of events.

Even so, 38-year-old Crawford escaped a conviction for attempted murder when Layh instead found him guilty of the lesser and included charge of aggravated assault against the then-31-year-old man. He was also convicted of possession of a weapon (a knife) for a dangerous purpose.

Court heard the stabbing incident unfolded on the early morning of Dec. 6, 2015 following drinking and drug use by the two men.

Police witnesses reported having been in the course of a traffic stop when they heard screaming nearby. They immediately went to find the source and told the court they spotted a small car on the 3300 block of 6th Avenue, rocking and shaking with screams coming from inside. Police also observed a set of legs — found moments later to belong to Crawford — sticking out horizontally from the passenger-side window.

Police testified they moved in, but Crawford didn’t immediately notice them. When he did and left the vehicle, they said he tossed a knife inside the car — a motion seen by one of the officers.

Court heard the two officers initially on scene called for backup, one tackling a fleeing Crawford and the other tending to a heavily bleeding complainant, who had reportedly suffered 20 stab wounds. Most seriously, the man suffered a deep wound to his thigh that was spurting blood.

Layh said officers no doubt saved the man’s life, having fashioned a tourniquet out of a leg restraint to stem the bleeding.

The complainant was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery. He testified at Crawford’s trial, telling the court the other man attacked him over allegations the complainant had stolen his backpack.

“I was getting stabbed all over this stupid bag I had never seen before,” the man told the court during his testimony, adding he used an expandable baton to fight back.

But Crawford and his then-girlfriend put a different version of events before the court, claiming he didn’t stab the complainant at all.

Rather, the pair blamed the incident on assailants supposedly affiliated with a street gang, Crawford saying he’d been set up as the victim of a robbery, including by the complainant himself. Crawford said a man called “Bart” entered the fray and stabbed the complainant as well as Crawford’s other attackers.

He alleged everyone scattered when police arrived and that Bart, while Crawford was being arrested, came out of a house and made a “shh” gesture — claims the judge didn’t believe. Nor did Layh believe Crawford’s testimony that he’d been hanging out of the vehicle in an attempt to convince the stabbing victim to come inside a nearby house to get help.

Layh also noted the discovery of a sheath matching the knife — which was found to contain the complainant’s DNA — on Crawford’s belt, adding police saw only Crawford, the complainant and Crawford’s then-girlfriend at the scene.

While the complainant said Crawford threatened to kill him during the assault, Layh determined that was not sufficient for an attempted murder conviction. Nor, he said, were the numerous stab wounds, given they were not located on areas of the body — such as the chest or neck — carrying an obvious risk to life.

Layh noted Crawford himself has survived a stabbing in the past, and so would have had some awareness of that.